Improvement in dial-telxgraphs



2 Sheets-Sheet 1'.

G. T. CHESTER. DIAL TELEGRAPH;

Patented 0-ct.. 20, 1863.

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'2 Sheets Sheet 2. OT. CHESTER. DIAL TELEGRAPH.

No. 40,324. Patented Oct. 20, 1863.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

eHARLEs T. CHESTER, or NEW YORK, n. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN D lAL-TELEGRAPHS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that 1, CHARLES T. UnEsTEn, of the city and county of NewYork, and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovementsin Electro-MagneticDial- Telegraphs; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full and correct description there'- of,reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of thisspecification, of Which- Figure 1 is a plan view of my improvedinstrument; Fig. 2, a front elevation; Fig. 3, a side elevation; Fig. 4,detached plan view of shifting needleshaft with escapcment-wheel andreceiving and transmitting pallets, &c; Fig. 5, elevation of the same.

My presentimproved instrument differs from the dial-telegraph patentedby me February 25, 1862, in several important features, although, whenarranged to receive messages, its operation as a receiving-instrument issubstantially the same-z. e, the needle or pointing-hand is driven by atrain of clock-work and controlled by a pallet attached to thearmature-lever of the receiving-magnet; but in my present machine I alsouse the train of clock-Work to actuate a circuit-breaker under thecontrol and regulation of a balance-wheel or pendulum, thecircuit-breaker beingvarrested to identify the letter by keys on thedial, (corresponding 'to the lettered or numbered spaces,) which, whendepressed, come in contact with an arm on the needle-shaft and stop themotion of the clock-work until released to proceed to another letter,and this constitutes one of the leading features of my presentinvention.

Another part of my invention consists in making the verticalneedle-shaft movable in its bearin gs a short distance, sufficient totrans fer the escape-wheel, which I use as a circuitbreaker, fromengagement with the pallet of the balance-wheel and thespring-connection, against which the teeth of the escape-wheel act toopen the circuit, into engagement with thearma-ture-lever pallet of thereceiving'magnot.

As the instrument is now arranged the balance-wheel pallet andspring-connection lie in a horizontal plane just below the plane of thearmature-pallet; therefore the change of position necessary to transferthe escape-wheel and needle-shaft from the control of the balance wheelpallet to the armature-pallet is slight and easily effected by ashifting-lcver,and does not interfere with the constant connection ofthe needle-shaft carrying the;escape-wh.eel by its pinion with-the trainof clock-work.

In the use of the instruments the circuit is through thespringconnection in the sendingiustrument and the magnet of thereceivinginstrument at the distant station; but the circuit-breakerbeing on the needle-shaft, thesending-instrument has the messageindicated on the dial exactly the same as on the receivinginstrument.

By the use of a balance-wheel or pendulum in connection with theescape-wheel when not ing as a circuit-breaker, a regular and uniformaction of the circuit-breakeris obtained at any desired rate of speedwithin the capacity of the receiving-magnets used. My improvedinstruments, thus convertible at pleasure by merely moving theshifting-lever from a receiving to a transmitting instrument, or viceversa, enables persons without exercise of skill to receive and transmitmessages as rap idly as the magnets have capacity to operate withcertainty.

More particularly to describe my invention, I will refer to the drawingsby letters of ref erence.

The dial a, divided into any desired number of equal-sized lettered ornumbered spaces, as shown, is supported by columns a fixed in a woodenbase, a ,which also supports theframe b of the main parts of theinstrument.

Upon the dial are mounted stops or keys 0 corresponding with thelettered or numbered divisions of the dial. They are made in the usualmanner of dialkeys, the stems projecting down through the dial, and areprovided with springs to lift them when the operator removes his hand.

A vertical shaft, d, in the axis of the dial, carries the dial-needle orpointing-hand e, a longer hand or arm, f, just below the dial reachingout to the key-stems, an escapement wheel, g, and a pinion, 9 by whichsaid shaft is connected to a train of clockwork, it, propelled by aspring, h.

A shifting-lever, 2', having its fulcrum-pin i at the top of thestandard i engages with its forked end in a groove, j, around thevertical needle-shaft din the manner of a clutch-shifter for the purposeor" raising the needle-shaft in its bearings whenever it is necessiiryto transfer the escape-wheel to the armature-pallet 7c of thereceiving-magnet Z. When the shaft is thus raised it is supported by theshifting-leyer, the forked part and groove forming a bearmg.

Iwould here remark that the escapementwheel might be confined to theshaft by aspline, so as to admit of being shifted by the shifting-leverinstead of shifting the shaft itself, and would answer the same purposemechanically; but I prefer the escapewheel to be fixed and to shift theshaft, as described.

A spring, Z, and adj llStlUg-SCIGWS 1 1 1 the latter encircled by aspiral spring, regulate the action of the armaturelcver it. When theescape-wheel is in its normal position it lies just below the plane ofthe armature-pallet and in the embrace of a pallet, m, which issupported by and vibrates with the vertical levershaft a, through whichit connects by the lever a and pin a with the balance-wheel 0, which isprovided with asuitablehair-springp.

A stop, g, on the shifting-lever prevents the pallet-lever from throwingback too far.

Now, any of the devices used for adjusting, increasing, and diminishingthe rate of motion of the balancewheel may be used, if deemed necessary,in connection with the balance; but in practice great nicety isnotrequired, and it will be sufficient to make the balance-wheel smallenough to admit of as great speed as will come surely within thecapacity of the magnets, leaving a margin for varying condition of theline.

In the same horizontal plane as the balancewheel pallet is a metallicspring, 1', secured to a stud, s, projecting upward from the frame, byan insulated pin, 8, and. connected with a conducting-wire, t.

The spring 7' presses against the point of a horizontal adjusting-screw,a, which works in a screw-hole through a stud, 4), also attached to theframe, and which is connected with a conducting-wire, t. The circuitbeing through the wire 1., spring 4', screw a, stud o, andconducting-wire t, is broken when the spring is pressed back from thepoint of the screw, which is done by the points of the teeth of theescapement-wheel as they rotate pressing tooth by tooth upon theprojecting end of the spring,

which, at the place of contact with the tooth, is insulated therefrom byattaching to the end of the spring a piece of hard rubber, w, orothersuitable insulating material, in manner and shape as shown in thedrawings, being a strip of hard rubber with a wedge-shape projectiontoward the escape-wheel teeth, the shape allowing it to fall between theteeth as they pass.

By setting the screw which bears against the spring (the circuit) in orout, the length of time the circuit will remain open while the tooth ofthe escape-wheel is passing will be lengthened or shortened.

Now, it will be evident that the action of the wheel may close thecircuit if the same be placed on the other side of the spring; but Iprefer to use the Wheel to open the circuit.

The points ofcontact ofthe screw and spring should be armed withplatina.

This instrument is designed to" be used in connection with a hell orother signal-magnet,

and also with the switches commonly used to transfer the main circuitfrom the receivingmagnet of sounders or recording-instruments to thetransmitting-key; but such devices are so well known that a particulardescription is un necessary I claim- 1. The circuit-breaker, incombination with a train of clock-work whereby it. is actuated, and abalancewheel whereby its uniform action is secured, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination of the needle ot' a dialtelegrapltwith acircuit-breaker actuated by clock-workand regulated by a balance-wheel,substantially as described.

3. The combination of dial-keys ith a circuit-breaker driven byclock-work and regulated by a balance-wheel, substantially as described.

4. In combination with the needle of'a dialtelegraph the shiftingescapemcnt-wheel constantly connected with, and actuated by, atrain ofclock-work when arranged to shift from the armature-lever pallet of thereceiving-magnet to the pallet of a balance-wheel con trolling andregulatingthe action of the mechanism foropenin g and closing thecircuit, substantially as and for the purposes described.

CHARLES T. CHESTER.

Witnesses:

F. t). TREADWELL, J r., M. B. ANDRUS.

